IDF admits Christmas Eve Gaza airstrike killed dozens of innocents - report

The extensive damage caused by Israel's airstrike on the Maghazi refugee camp in Gaza on Sunday night was a mistake, according to an IDF military official who spoke to KAN news on Thursday morning. 

The official told KAN that, following an internal IAF investigation, it came out that the type of weaponry used did not match the nature of the mission. As a result, there was extensive collateral damage that did not need to occur and could have been avoided if the correct weaponry had been used. 

Dozens of innocent civilians were killed in this strike, KAN said, adding a report that the IDF had expressed regret over the incident. 

"A preliminary investigation revealed that during the attack, additional buildings were damaged adjacent to the targets that were [meant to be] attacked," the IDF Spokesperson's Unit reportedly told KAN. "[This] apparently resulted in harm to those not involved....The IDF regrets the harm to those not involved."

IDF Christmas Eve airstrike 

The Israeli air strike that hit central Gaza's Maghazi refugee camp killed 70 people, according to Reuters citing Palestinian health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra on Sunday, who said the death toll was likely to climb.

"What is happening at the Maghazi camp is a massacre that is being committed on a crowded residential square," al-Qidra said.

The Israeli army on Sunday said it was reviewing the report of a Maghazi incident and was committed to minimizing harm to civilians, Reuters said. Israel responded that Hamas operates in densely populated areas and uses civilians as human shields, which Hamas denies.

"Despite the challenges posed by Hamas terrorists operating within civilian areas in Gaza, the IDF is committed to international law, including taking feasible steps to minimize harm to civilians," an Israeli army spokesperson said in a statement.

Hamas, which runs Gaza, issued a statement calling the air strike "a horrific massacre" and said it was "a new war crime."

Reuters contributed to this report.